Seaweed Gyotaku in Sumi

Seaweed Gyotaku in SumiA small print from a seaweed I scooped up off the beach when walking the dog. I love to print in sumi it gives more depth I think than the acrylic ink that I also use. The print is approx 15x21cm and has been wet mounted as with all my work. If you are interestested in the process of Gyotaku, you can find more information here .

I combine my experience as an oil painter and create Gyotaku that are more expressive using colour in a less conventional way

The specimen was gathered from the beach at Aberffraw

It's printed on a Japanese paper which has been 'wet mounted' to a second piece of Japanese paper

The use of high-quality inks

almost ethereal quality that shifts with the light

The fish eyes are hand painted after printing

The name for this process is Urauchi and it literally means to glue on backing

have a beautiful shape and lend themselves to this art form

I also added a thin wash over the belly of the fish to accentuate its shape

The sea bass is my favourite fish to print and probably to eat too

a second sheet of paper is rolled out and stuck down to the back using a Shuro brush

If you have any questions you can use the Chat to drop me a line and I’ll come back to you